Qure Medical doubles size of China facility

SHANGHAI — American rubber and silicone molded component manufacturer Qure Medical is doubling the size of its Dongguan, China facility, expanding 40,000 square feet to a building next door to their existing plant, where it will have silicone, polyisoprene and organic rubber production capabilities.

The expansion will include an ISO certified class 8 clean room, and be completed by the first quarter of 2014, said Nick Brust, vice president of sales, in an interview at the company's booth at the Medtec China show, held Sept. 25-26 in Shanghai.

"We're so busy, we need additional space for the current [manufacturing] and we're also trying to grow the medical [manufacturing] in China," he said.

Qure Medical is based in Twinsburg, Ohio, and was formed by the acquisition of elastomeric solutions providers Lexington Medical, MED Inc., and Limtech. It has facilities in Ohio, Wisconsin, South Carolina and Dongguan.

The company reported strong interest in its clean room capabilities in China.

"There's been heavy traffic," Brust said of the trade show. "We have many customers in the U.S. that are really excited that we'll have the [clean room] capability because they do some assembly here but if we can mold then we don't have transportation fees or lead time."

"There's not only molding opportunities but also some assembly opportunities for our customers as well," Brust said.

One project is already started.

"We have a seal that we've started in our Twinsburg facility because we're still in construction of the clean room [in China]," he said. "We're going to start manufacturing in the U.S. and then shift to Dongguan after the first of the year when our clean room is complete."

The China facility is also set to receive ISO 1345 registration in early 2014. A new general manager for the Dongguan plant, Scot Mazur, will start Oct. 1.

The company is also making investments in its U.S. facilities, Brust said, and may expand in Europe in the future.